Stories of dogs attacking other dogs and people in Revelstoke pop up on social media sites and are shared among friends and neighbours, but the incidents are rarely reported to the city's bylaw compliance officers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do know that the majority of these cases are not reported, we know this,\u201d said Joe Marcoffio, the bylaw compliance supervisor for the city.<\/p>\n
From what he and the other bylaw officers see on social media and hear anecdotally, Marcoffio guesses 98 per cent of incidents aren\u2019t reported.<\/p>\n
When people do report encounters with dogs that approach them aggressively or bite them or their dogs, Marcoffio says it\u2019s often the second, third or fourth time it\u2019s happened.<\/p>\n
\u201cShould that had been reported prior to the second, third or fourth time, that could have been the last incident at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gail Starling is a 65-year old who lives near Douglas Street with her two dogs, Chevy and Zorro. Zorro has been attacked by other dogs five times, most recently at the end of May on Douglas Street.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was taking the boys for a walk so they could go pottys,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
They were just starting a new block when she noticed a man sitting on a bike, holding a dog on a leash. Starling turned around when she saw them.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf at all possible I try to avoid other dogs,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
But still, next thing she knew the dog had gotten away from its owner, and was on top of Zorro.<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried to kick at the attacking dog, and I was yelling, \u2018No! No! No!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The owner came running up, apologized, and left before Startling could even think to ask for this name and number.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was in shock, I\u2019ve got one dog in each arm, I\u2019m 65-years-old and I\u2019m trying to deal with a dog attacking my dog, yes it was horrible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zorro was hobbling on three legs, one of his rear knees injured. After a week Starling took him to the vet. They did x-rays, urine samples and bloodwork, and found Zorro needs what\u2019s called a tibial plateau leveling osteotomy on one of his cruciate ligaments.<\/p>\n
The surgery is on July 5 at the Shuswap Veterinary Clinic in Salmon Arm. It will cost Starling, who\u2019s on a fixed income, $4100.<\/p>\n
Starling posted to social media about the dog attack, and about the cost of the surgery. A friend of hers set up a fundraiser to help with the cost.<\/p>\n
Starling didn\u2019t report the attack to bylaw, saying that one time Zorro was attacked by a dog that lives in her building. She called the RCMP, but doesn\u2019t think they did anything.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen the dog several times still running around off-leash,\u201d Starling said, \u201cso it seems kind of pointless to bother the RCMP or bylaws officers because nothing changes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cpl. Phil Pauz\u00e9 with the Revelstoke RCMP said that animal enforcement falls under city jurisdiction, and when the RCMP receive reports about dog attacks, they pass them along.<\/p>\n
Marcoffio is skeptical that the RCMP pass along every report.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut there are a lot of times where the RCMP will kind of turn over that file and pass it on to us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Under the province of British Columbia\u2019s community charter<\/a>, the city of Revelstoke has the authority to, \u201cregulate, prohibit and impose requirements in relation to animals.\u201d<\/p>\n